Chat Noir launched himself off of this bedroom window, flying through the air and landing gracefully on the closest building over. The feeling of the cool wind against his face and hair has never felt so thereputic. He lifted his baton, looking around and wondering which way he wanted to use it to take him. Did he want to continue taking Plagg's joke seriously and try to find Ladybug somehow? Their next patrol wasn't scheduled until tomorrow, so there was much less of a garauntee she would be in the area. But Chat didn't necessarily have a plan here, so he guessed it wouldn't hurt. The Eiffel Tower was a public place, and in perfect eyeshot, so he decided to start there.
That was, until he heard light, high-pitched snoring coming from somewhere nearby.
He spun around, eyebrows creased in confusion, searching for where that could possibly be coming from. Until his eyes caught on something bright red at the roof of his home.
He did a double-take, squeezing his eyes shut and blinking them back open. Was he hallucinating? That couldn't possibly be who he thought it was. He flung himself onto the roof, landing a careful distance away.
Well, that was...easy?
Sure enough, there was Ladybug, slouched over with her face uncomfortably squished into the palm of her hand, contentedly dozing like this wasn't the strangest and most oddly specific location to be napping. Chat Noir had too many questions swimming through his brain that he couldn't decide which one he was going to start with when she woke up.
He approached her with the silent, catlike steps he had mastered. He bent over to get a good look at her. By the looks of it, she couldn't have been faking. Although he wasn't quite sure why she would.
"Uh," Chat stammered awkwardly, holding his finger out. He prodded her gently in the shoulder, careful not to poke her with his claws. "...m'lady?"
Ladybug's eyes fluttered opened halfway. Then, instantly, they snapped the rest of the way, her panicked expression flying to Chat Noir. "Chat?" She looked around wildly and sprung to her feet, grabbing for her yo-yo. "Where is it? Where's the akuma!" she demanded, immeditately dropping her weapon with a humorous clunk against the hard roof. With a surprised cry, she dived for it, catching it just before it bounced off the building.
"Um." Chat Noir hesitantly looked around behind him, then back at Ladybug. "Nowhere?"
Ladybug was frozen in the awkward, crouched position she had caught her yo-yo in, her eyes still huge and unmoving. They looked off to the side for a bit. Then she groaned, standing up straight and tilting her head back in shame. "I fell asleep..." she whined.
"I could tell," Chat remarked, holding his baton in both hands behind his back and walking a casual circle around her as she secured her yo-yo back around her waist. "You've sure chosen an unusual place to take a nap."
"What are you even doing here?" Ladybug asked, lowering herself back into a sitting position, letting her legs dangle off the side of the building. She rested her chin into her hand, looking out into the city.
"I...," Chat paused. "...could ask you the same thing."
"Well, after what happened to Gabriel Agreste, I figured Adrien must be a perfect target for an akuma right now. So I've just been on the lookout."
Chat Noir blinked in surprise. Ladybug had been just a few stories above him and he'd had no idea. How long had she been up here?
"So, we had the same idea then," he lied. He had to make some kind of a last minute excuse for being on his own roof. Though, he was really just cheating off of her.
She looked back at him, raising one eyebrow. "And you just now show up, huh?"
"Yeah, I kinda just found out…I'm pretty out of the loop when it comes to celebrities…" Chat shrugged and scratched at the back of his neck, trying to act like his usual, silly self. It didn't come as naturally at that moment, for obvious reasons. "How long has your puppy-guard session been going on?"
"Since this morning," she replied, turning to look back towards the city lights, eyes resuming to scan the area, the mixture of yellow, blue and white lights making the edge of her cheeks glow.
Chat struggled to process that at first, but then it hit him like a shock going through his whole body. All that time he'd spent being suffocated by relatives, faking smiles, enduring painful small talk and crying in his room, Ladybug had been just a few feet away, thinking of him. His face felt hot and he honestly felt like breaking down right there. A tear may have even found its way out, but he took a deep breath, as silently as he could, and took a moment to be grateful that Ladybug's back was turned. He pushed every overwhelming feeling to the back of his head, with maybe half as much success as he would have hoped, and extended his baton to floor level, placing both palms on the top of it and resting his chin atop his hands.
"Whoa," he said, trying to sound amused. It was pretty ironic. Usually, him being Chat Noir was his escape from having to put on an act. Where he could just be himself and not have to overthink every word that came out of his mouth. It felt wrong having the roles switched, and he didn't like it. Everything felt wrong lately. "That's dedication…" he said, as a light tease, but it sounded more melancholy than he intended. Luckily Ladybug looked pretty distracted and didn't seem to notice anything off.
"Well, I feel bad, you know?" Ladybug shrugged, looking downwards a bit. She was silent for a quick moment. "I feel like being akumatized is the last thing he needs right now. If that's all I can do to help, then I'm gonna do it."
Those words gave him a warm feeling that he'd almost forgotten. Yet another reminder of why he loved her so much. Of course he could count on Ladybug to lift his spirits, even when she wasn't trying. "You say that like you don't make people's day by merely smiling at them." He tilted his head to rest his temples against the top of his curled hands. "I'm sure a little visit from Ladybug would make him forget anything ever happened."
Ladybug smiled and rolled her eyes. She looked up at him. "Why don't you comfort him then? Go work your magic."
"You know I don't have the same effect on people, Lady." Chat smiled back, retracting his staff and slowly walking closer. He stood against the edge of the building, a few feet away from her. Anyone but him would have likely lost their balance right away. "With my talking skills, I'd probably just end up making him feel ten times worse."
She shook her head at him, snickering. Her smile faded not long after. "No, I don't want to overwhelm him. There's already been so many people here today, I'm sure he's exhausted."
His gaze fell a bit, taken aback by the truth of her words. "Yeah," he said, seemingly agreeing but really just confirming her assumption. "Poor- kid…" he added, unconfidentally. He mentally cringed at how unnatural that felt to say, when referring to his own self.
"I know. I couldn't even imagine going through something like that." Ladybug sighed sadly.
He looked at her in appreciation. The fact that she was so worried for Adrien to even notice him looking made his appreciation even stronger, making his chest hurt in the nicest way it could.
"You're an immensely good person, you know that?" He said softly.
Ladybug shot a critical glare at him. "Feeling sad for someone who just lost a loved one doesn't make you some kind of saint, you know."
"Sure. But, sticking around on this old rooftop for hours and hours for someone else's sake, not even keeping yourself busy with… I dunno, playing cards, or something? I mean, that just sounds so unbelievably boring that I'd personally say it's, at the very least, comparable to sainthood."
"If you say so." Ladybug shrugged, unconvinced.
"On that note, how many akumas did you see while you were up here?" He genuinely wondered. Obviously no one had been akumatized at his home, but it didn't occur to him that that could have been the doing of Ladybug.
"None." Ladybug stared forward, puzzled. "Not a single one."
"You don't say." Chat Noir followed her eyes, scanning the dark skyline.
"It's weird, right?" She turned her whole torso towards him. "You'd think this would be the perfect opportunity for Hawk Moth, with all the strong negative emotions…not even just from Adrien either. And nothing. Not one akumatized citizen in the whole city.."
"That is strange," Chat Noir agreed, thinking. "Maybe, whereas it's such a public thing, it's too…I don't know, predictable? Maybe he doesn't wanna risk being tracked."
"Hasn't stopped him before." Ladybug straightened to a standing position, her arms crossed loosely. She stretched her legs that had been in the same sitting position for hours now. "He could just be waiting for the right moment, I guess."
"Unlucky for him you're so ahead of the game. I know when he finally does akumatize someone, Ladybug will be right on top of it."
"We both will," Ladybug corrected him. "You're not gonna ditch me to deal with Hawk Moth by myself, are you?" She joked.
"Of course not, m'lady," Chat replied. If he were feeling his usual self he probably would have bowed and taken her hand dramatically, showering her in heartfelt vows that typically resulted in her pulling away playfully, or sometimes not so playfully. But even while he was doing his best to - literally - mask his feelings, he still couldn't bring himself to go all out. "Not that you couldn't do it by yourself. I'd bet my tail you could do it with your eyes closed and one hand behind your back. Let's face it, you don't need me."
Ladybug squinted at him, a reaction he didn't expect, and leaned forward a bit, tapping at her arm with her index finger and quickly looking him up and down before settling her suspicious stare into his eyes. "I can't tell if you're being extra flattering or extra self-deprecating today."
"Oh." He didn't realize how negatively that had sounded. That really just went to show his mental state at the moment. He hunched his shoulders, his arms glued to his sides. "That came off a little strong, didn't it?" he said, smirking sheepishly. He immediately regretted his choice of words and lack of thinking. He could have just said that he was in fact just flattering her, because how could he not with her shining beauty and…all that. Yeah, on second thought, maybe that would have backfired too.
Before Ladybug could reply, the light from Adrien's bedroom window suddenly went out, catching their attention.
"Well, guess it's lights-out." Chat Noir stood up straight and stretched his arms as Ladybug stepped towards Adrien's now dark window, examining it from afar. "You can't be akumatized in your sleep, so that's the end of a long day's work for us. Where to now?"
Ladybug leaned forward a bit to further study the window before quickly turning back to Chat Noir. "Let me just make sure he's actually asleep. Just to be safe." She pitched her yo-yo onto the wire balcony of the window above Adrien's and swung over, gracefully planting her feet on the outside walls, lowering herself until she could peer through the glass. Chat Noir decided to follow, launching himself with his baton and landing on the ground below Ladybug, then extending it, holding on tightly and raising himself to her level.
He saw who he immediately identified as Nathalie standing in his doorway, looking sadly at the mass of shirts and pajamas underneath the blankets that she believed to be Adrien, just before closing the door behind her. He mentally shamed himself for not turning off the light before sneaking out. He must have been just so desperate to get out of that house that he didn't think of it. That could have been bad.
"Looks like he's asleep to me." Chat Noir looked up at Ladybug.
"Good," Ladybug half-whispered, staring into the glass with a heartbroken look. She looked down at herself suddenly, as if prying herself away, and pulled herself back up to the roof. Chat extended his baton higher and stepped onto the roof next to her.
"I suppose we could just do our nightly rounds tonight." Ladybug suggested, her eyes roaming around the city. "It wouldn't hurt."
"Sounds good to me," Chat agreed, gripping his baton tightly at shoulder length as it shot back to its default size. He was disappointed that he would have to separate from Ladybug for a length of time, but doing anything was better than staying cooped up in his room.
"Okay. I'll take the East route this time. Meet you at the Louvre in thirty?"
"Sure." Chat nodded.
Ladybug nodded back and instantly took off running, sending her yo-yo yards away in less than a second and effortlessly gliding away before he could even tell what it had latched onto. He watched her as she swung from building to building, a sight he would never get tired of, until she was too far out of sight to see clearly. He turned the opposite direction, adjusting his baton in his hands and getting ready to take off as well. The silence froze him for a second, and he took the time he had alone to release a heavy, exhausted sigh that had been fighting to get out of him. He gripped his face in his hands, sliding up to his hairline and dragging back down the sides of his face, exhaling again before re-readying his baton. He shook his head fiercely, gathering himself, and then flung himself off of his roof.
"Nothing for you either?" Ladybug asked, planting her feet firmly on the top of one of the museum's many roofs as she landed and retracting her yo-yo with a flick of her hand as she walked towards Chat Noir, who was leaning against the edge of the wall of the next floor up with his arms crossed tightly just a few yards away.
"Nope," he replied. "Looks like Hawk Moth is officially slacking."
"What is up with him?" Ladybug wondered, balling her hands and scowling off to the side.
"If I didn't know better, Bugaboo, I would have guessed that you want people to get akumatized." Chat teased. "What, do you miss having a challenge?"
"Of course I don't. It's just…" she began pacing and moving her hands along with her words. "It just doesn't feel right! As glad as I want to be that there are no akumatizations, it's just so…off-putting. Why would he suddenly stop sending akumas? He's got to be planning something."
"Maybe he's just trying to get us off-guard," Chat suggested, shrugging. "Attack when we least expect it."
"Well I'm not gonna let that happen." Ladybug said, glancing at Chat Noir quickly before continuing her pacing. "If I have to make a tent on that stupid roof, then so be it. If anything, my guard is just going to go more…up!"
He almost chuckled, willing Hawk Moth to take his dear, sweet time. Her stubbornness was just as entertaining as ever. He knew he probably shouldn't be taking joy in seeing her so frustrated, but her frustration was just so amusing. She continued on ranting, dumping everything out of her brain and into the cool, empty night air. But Chat Noir began zoning out after a while. He'd barely been able to focus on patrolling once they'd separated with everything buzzing around in his head. His face slowly started falling and his eyes staring blankly at nothing.
He wondered how different his life would be now that he was legally put into Nathalie's care. He'd always liked Nathalie and could tell that she cared about him. She'd always let Adrien get away with little things, too; things that would usually end up getting her in trouble with his father. He couldn't help but wonder if there would be less pressure on him from now on, with Nathalie being much more flexible than his father had been. Maybe he'd be allowed to have friends over more often, even if that meant just squeezing them between his daily routines for a few minutes, or going out for coffee with them in the morning before school. Maybe he'd even get to go out on all those school trips he's had to miss out on.
"Chat?"
His stomach dropped. What was he saying? Why was he acting like he was happy his father was dead? Guilt instantly casted a dark shadow over his mind and he wanted to curl up into a ball. What a terrible son he was. His father never did anything but love him, and his protectiveness was out of pure care. How could he think this way after everything that's happened? His family had spent all day trying to comfort him and be with him and there he was, being happy about the circumstances. He was a horrible excuse for a-
"Hey, Chat!"
Chat snapped back, blinking and raising his eyebrows. He looked back up at Ladybug, who was eyeing him with confusion and concern.
"Sorry, Lady. What was that?" he said, forcing his chipper tone back into his words.
"I asked if you were doing alright…" she uttered softly, her innocent, bright blue eyes looking back and forth between each of his.
Whoops. "Uh, yeah, I'm alright!" He reassured with a plastered smile, angry at himself for letting his guard down. He really had to get a grip. "Why do you ask?"
Ladybug tilted her head a bit. "You just don't seem like your usual self today. You're not as...I don't know, jokester-y."
"Hmm. Should I step-up my comedy game then? I have a book of knock-knock jokes at home I could grab."
Ladybug frowned disapprovingly.
Well, that didn't work. Chat Noir gave a small sigh of surrender, knowing he would no longer be able to hide anything from her at this point. "Okay, I'm just-" he stopped himself from saying he was tired. It was overused and she wasn't going to accept it as an answer. He thought for a second. "It's just that…Adrien's situation hits a little close to home… for me." He spun his baton in between his gloved fingers, trying not to seem too serious. It's not like he was exactly lying. "It just kinda brought up some memories I'd rather not think about, you know?"
Ladybug was visibly unhappy at this information. "Oh, Chat, I'm sorry to hear that…"
"It's fine, it's fine," he waved it off. "It's really no big deal. And besides, this isn't about me."
"Well, don't feel like you have nobody to talk to, okay?" She said, a bit more cheerfully. "I mean, if we're gonna be standing idly by while waiting for these darn akumas to show, it wouldn't hurt to pass the time somehow."
"See, now you're the one being out of character," Chat countered, walking closer with his hands behind his back. "You're being too nice. I almost miss the snappy, sassy Ladybug I've gotten so used to working with."
"She comes out when Jokester Chat comes out," Ladybug retorted, lazily swinging her yo-yo around. "So you're just gonna have to cheer up if you plan on seeing the likes of her again."
"Okay, fine. Let's see what I can remember from my book." He looked to the sky, scratching at his jaw. "Okay, knock-knock."
Ladybug sighed, realizing what she'd gotten herself into. "Who's there?"
"Nobel."
"Nobel who."
"Nobel…that's why I knocked!" He shot her two finger guns.
"Aha, ha, ha," She deadpanned. "I'm dying with laughter, really."
"Oh yeah? Like you could do better," Chat challenged.
"I most certainly could, for your information," Ladybug declared with confidence.
"Aw come on, that's actually a pretty good one."
Ladybug rolled her eyes, giving in. "Okay, for a knock-knock joke, it wasn't that bad," she admitted, rolling her eyes.
"Definitely not as bad as this one…" Chat grinned. "Knock-knock."
"Who's there…"
"Wendy."
"Wendy who?"
"Wendyyy you wanna go on a date?" He put up the same two finger guns.
"Ugh, forget I even said anything." Ladybug snapped, grasping the sides of her head. "Make it stop!"
Chat Noir about found himself laughing at her reaction…genuinely laughing. It had felt like forever since he'd done it and it almost felt foreign to him. He'd nearly forgotten the physical difference in real laughter compared to the fake, empty chuckles that came as second nature to him when talking to others. Others that weren't Ladybug.
Ladybug smiled as she relaxed her arms, seemingly satisfied. The laughter didn't last too long, but it was enough to please both of them.
Chat Noir sighed contently. "See, this is what I mean when I say you lift people's spirits, Ladybug." He leaned back against the edge of the building, crossing hsi ankles. "I'm tellin' ya, if you're that worried about Adrien, you might as well just knock-knock on his window and pay him a little visit."
"I don't think screaming 'make it stop' at him will have quite the same effect as it does on you, Chat."
"Don't be too sure, m'lady." Chat shrugged. "People are full of surprises."
Ladybug shook her head, amused.
"In all seriousness, you should really think about it," Chat suggested. "He's a huge fan of yours, isn't he? I'm sure it would really brighten up his day."
Ladybug hesitated, her expression unreadable to him. "Okay, I'll...think about it," she finally agreed, her voice low.
Chat almost smiled again. At least he potentially had something to look forward to.
"Well…," Ladybug started, interrupting herself with a yawn. "I should probably get going. Sitting on a rooftop all day is more exhausting than it looks."
"Of course," Chat replied, hiding the disappointment in his voice. He felt like he'd hardly gotten any time with her. He stood up. "Wouldn't want our beloved Ladybug missing out on her beauty sleep."
"That goes double for you, kitty. It's the only thing you got going for you." She winked.
He exaggeratedly clutched at his chest. "That's harsh, Ladybug."
She giggled, getting her yo-yo ready and trotting towards the opposite end of the building.
"Hey, before you go!" Chat called, wanting to stall his time with her as long as possible. She stopped and looked back at him. "I never heard your knock-knock joke."
"I never had one!" Ladybug yelled back.
"Hey, you said you could do better than me. So let's see you prove it."
Ladybug looked down for a second, thinking. "Okay, fine. Knock-knock!"
"Who's there?"
"Little old lady."
"Come on, everyone knows that one!"
"It's the only one I can think of!" Ladybug barked, and then scoffed. "Alright, whatever, you win."
"You were a worthy opponent, m'lady."
She returned his grin, and then took off.
"I expect a better competition tomorrow!" He yelled at her swinging form as it shrunk from his sight.
"You're on!" her voice echoed from the quickly growing distance. Once again, he watched until she was completely gone.
"Well," he said in the newly found silence. "I guess we need sleep too, Plagg." And with that, he took off in the opposite direction.
